Scotland seeks green opportunity in Dubai

A Scottish official visiting Dubai said his country was looking for low-carbon growth opportunities with the United Arab Emirates. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is on a five-day visit to the United Arab Emirates to discuss investment opportunities. During meetings with Emirati Minister of Finance and Industry Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Salmond said he saw a particular opportunity for green investments with Dubai. "In light of the global downturn, we must take the opportunity to sharpen our focus on areas where there is considerable growth potential for Scotland," he was quoted as saying. Edinburgh notes its economic strategy is geared at moving to a low-carbon economy, which Salmond said could support 130,000 jobs by 2020. Edinburgh aims to have 100 percent of its electricity demand met through renewable energy by 2020. The country used renewable energy to meet 27 percent of its demand in 2009. "Scotland already has a strong reputation in both education and low-carbon technologies and I look forward to collaborating with Dubai on future projects," the minister said.